Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions Among US, Russia And China, India All Set For G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meet

New Delhi: India is all set to host the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Thursday amid rising geopolitical tensions concerning the US, China and Russia in the backdrop of the Ukraine war intensifying even as a new problem seems to be brewing among New Delhi, Tokyo and Seoul.

Geopolitical tensions were already seen creeping into the finance ministers’ track that took place in Bengaluru last week when a joint communique could not be achieved due to reservations from Russia and China and only a Chair’s Summary and Outcome Document was issued. Russia and China have expressed reservations on the Bali declaration language.

“We did not see any difference emerging at the G20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting (at Bengaluru) … We do not see where is the question of changing the language (of the Bali Declaration) arising,” said Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra Wednesday, responding to a question by ABP Live.

He added that what will be there at the joint statement is yet to be decided but as far as the meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ (FMCBG) is concerned, he said, “there were no differences that came up”.

In so far as India’s position is concerned on the Russia-Ukraine war, which will continue to dominate India’s G20 presidency, Kwatra reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to Russian President Vladimir Putin that “this is not an era of war”. Modi had said this to Putin on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit that took place last year in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Tuesday said the situation in Bakhmut is becoming "more and more difficult" even as Russia has intensified its efforts to take over the city, which has been the centre of all aggressive actions by the Russian forces.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said “We tabled a text (during the finance ministers’ meeting), which is the Chair’s Statement and an Outcome Document in which on the issue of Russia-Ukraine (war) we tabled Paras 3 & 4 which were reproduction of text from the Bali Leaders’ Declaration.”

Bagchi said: “If two countries – Russia and China – did not agree to that you need to ask them why and in what perspective or are they no longer with the text from Bali… We will see how it goes forward.”

He added: “Para 3 & 4 are a repetition from the Bali Declaration, obviously we stand by the Declaration. It’s our Prime Minister who was there … Our constructive role was appreciated in that. So there’s no question of not agreeing to that text. We are with that text. If two countries – Russia and China – have reservations about it you need to ask them."

He said India’s position has not change since then. “In the Bali Declaration, we signed up to all the paras of the Declaration as the agreed text and as a text that we now have presented.”

Meanwhile, adding fuel to fire, the foreign ministers of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi, and South Korea, Park Jin, are not attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting reportedly due to domestic matters in their respective countries. Both these countries are sending their deputy foreign ministers — Lee Do-hoon from Korea and Kenji Yamada from Japan — for the meeting.

“India and Japan have enjoyed sterling when it comes to discussions and deliberations. We understand he is not able to come due to domestic compulsions. We greatly value their participation, their contribution is most helpful in taking forward the G20,” Kwatra said on the Japanese foreign minister’s absence.

Kwatra stressed: “Yes, given the nature and the developing situation in Russia-Ukraine conflict, naturally it will be an important point of discussion during the G20 FMM … Clearly the FMs will focus on the ongoing situation between Russia and Ukraine. But what is it they will come out and more importantly what is the understanding they develop not just on the conflict but the impact of the conflict, the challenges the developing countries face will be discussed.”

JAISHANKAR TO HOLD BILATERAL TALKS ALONGSIDE G20 FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING

Much before the Foreign Ministers' Meeting begins, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar started to hold a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts, where again the Russia-Ukraine War has mostly dominated the agenda.

On Wednesday, he met his European counterpart Josep Borrell, and they discussed the war.

“Pleased to meet EU HRVP @JosepBorrellF before the #G20FMM tomorrow. Our conversation focused on the G20 agenda and the Ukraine conflict. Appreciated the steady growth of India-EU cooperation,” Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Jaishankar also met UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly as well as the foreign minister of Turkey a day before the G20 meeting, where the Russia-Ukraine conflict was discussed. 

Jaishankar is expected to also meet China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who is coming on his maiden visit to India on March 2.

INDIA TO HIGHLIGHT ISSUES OF GLOBAL SOUTH

According to Kwatra, India will highlight the issues of Global South, concerning food and energy security, as they are also facing the impact of the war.

“We heard it loud and clear when we organised the Global South summit that there are issues of food and energy security that needs to be addressed, issues that also need to be addressed are  accessibility to climate finance, climate technology or the mitigation of environmental challenges,” the foreign secretary said.

He also said India will amplify the concept of ‘Jan Bhagidari (contribution of people)' during the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting. 

“One of the key planks of India's G20 presidency is to run it as a presidency of Jan Bhagidari, which is essentially the participation and the contribution of the people. But that is something which is also scalable for the Global South, because the fruits of, you know, the benefits of what gets discussed within the G20 framework, what gets decided in the G20 framework should reach to the people for the rest of the world,” Kwatra said.

“So that is an amplification at the level of the people, which my Prime Minister has so strongly proposed and propagated,” he added.